Final: Florida 24, Florida State 21
With :49 remaining in regulation, the Florida State Seminoles had just scored a touchdown to close within three points of rival Florida. Then, hilarity ensued.
Needing to convert an onside kick attempt, FSU K Parker Grothaus stepped towards the ball then swung his foot to meet the top of the football and continued running towards waiting defenders. One problem. Grothaus either completely whiffed on the attempt or hit it so lightly the ball barely got off the tee. Ballgame. Florida took over from there and was able to sit on the clock and defeat their rivals from Tallahassee, 24-21.
I can’t recall ever seeing a kicker do this before, but leave it to the clown college to pull that one off. It’s great to be a Florida Gator! pic.twitter.com/1oUHRHaEQA
— libgator (@lib_gator) November 27, 2021
In a game defined by mistakes, Florida State made the most costly ones.
With 5:42 remaining in the third quarter, FSU WR Ontaria Wilson muffed a 61-yard punt from Jeremy Crawshaw. Florida capitalized with an eight play touchdown drive that was complete with a 5 yard touchdown pass from Anthony Richardson to Justin Shorter.
Florida made a number of errors, as well. In the first half alone, Florida QB Emory Jones threw three interceptions, almost singlehandedly keeping the Seminoles in the game.
Florida took an early lead after scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. The Seminoles would even things up with a 68-yard drive following an interception in the second quarter.
Florida RB Dameon Pierce made a monster run early in the fourth, continuing even after having his helmet ripped off, eventually ending up in the end zone, despite it not counting. Two plays later, Pierce found the end zone, with it counting on the scoreboard.
The Gators outgained FSU 357-348 and converted 11-17 third down attempts. The Gators earned their sixth win of the year to become bowl eligible, despite losing their head coach and playing for interim head coach Greg Knox. Furthermore, the Gators made sure that their biggest rival would be ineligible for postseason with the win.